samedi 20 juillet 2013

Great Lakes peace is at hand*.

Cry, my beloved country!

Today, the Great Lakes region to see the scope of the things the people,
tired of the war, yearn in vain for decades: the ability to silence the weapons
to build trust and trade between neighboring countries to send millions of
school children currently out of school, to empower women to work and create
economic opportunities that will help countries to embark on the path of
prosperity, good governance and lasting stability.In the coming days, we
will go to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) and Rwanda to meet
with leaders of the region and announced a series of specific commitments to
accelerate the development and consolidation of peace. This joint visit, the
first is linked to a very important new agreement, the Framework Agreement for
peace, security and cooperation in the D.R.C. and the region.

Framework agreement for hope.

This agreement is the
result of concerted efforts of the U.N., the International Conference on the
Great Lakes Region, the Community Development Community (S.A.D.C.) and the
African Union (A.U.). It is based on the following observation: to end the
succession of devastating conflicts in the D.R.C., we must look at things from
a new angle. It is not enough to manage crises and the effects of hostilities.

We
must address the root causes. Signed by 11 countries, the agreement provides
that the regional leaders act with the support of the international community
to try to solve the common problems of security and development. And as the
commitments must be kept, it also provides for the creation of rigorous
controls to help ensure that the results were achieved.We believe that this
comprehensive approach opens the D.R.C. and the Great Lakes region, the
prospects for peace and development that they have not had for years. But this
"framework agreement for hope", as called Mary Robinson, the U.N.
.Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, will require a lot of work.

The Condemned
Generations.

A staggering number of
people in the D.R.C. have less than $ 1.25 a day to live. More than 7 million
children - one third of those who should be in school - do not have access to
education. Some 2.4 million children suffer from acute malnutrition. Malaria,
cholera and measles are rampant due to inadequate health care, the quality of
water and sanitation. The roads are in terrible condition and electricity is
expensive when there. The most common products must be imported. Some 6.3
million people depend on food aid.Sexual violence remains a
scourge across the country, and is regularly used as a weapon of war by the
armed groups operating in the country. The lack of jobs and future prospects
made the bed of crime. More than 3 million Congolese have fled to seek safety,
2.6 million are displaced within the country and 450,000 are refugees in
neighboring countries.This is mainly the
leaders of the region will depend on peace, stability and economic growth. The
United Nations system, including the World Bank Group, and the entire
international community must support them. We pledge that our two organizations
collaborate more closely, according to new formulas for the implementation of
aspects of the Agreement relating to political issues and stability go hand in
hand with economic development essential to peace and lasting stability.

Dividends of economic interdependence development.

By
boosting economic activity and creating livelihoods in border areas, promoting
cross-border trade, gradually developing economic interdependence, fighting
corruption and ensuring that natural resources are managed for the benefit of
all, it is possible to gradually strengthen confidence and improve the quality
of life, income level and future prospects.Other countries have
shown that it is possible to recover from conflict and progress towards the
Millennium Development Goals.

We
are now preparing for the post-2015 a new sustainable development program aimed
at eradicating poverty. Many African countries are moving aggressively. The
people of the DRC also deserves a real chance to move forward.A peace agreement must
pay dividends of peace. We need the people of the Great Lakes region to help
them achieve their aspirations feed for so long: the end of the conflict, the
education of children, the rights of women, access to health care and to
sustainable sources of energy and income and prospects for all. It is for this
reason that we are in the area. We see, on the horizon, hope for the peoples of
the Great Lakes region, and we are determined to accompany them along the way.

_____________________________________________________

By Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of United Nationsand Jim Yong Kim, president of the
World Bank Group published on May 21, 2013.

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Born August 18, 1953 at Mugwata, North Kivu, DRC. Degree in History at the University of Lubumbashi. Degree in Development Studies at the University of Geneva. Author: République Démocratique du Congo. Les générations condamnées. Déliquescence d’une société pré-capitaliste (D.R.C.. Generations convicted) Publibook, Paris, 2006. L’Envers du parchemin (The other side of the parchment), novel, Publibook, Paris, 2006. Dictionnaire biographique des Africains (Biographical Dictionary of Africans), Editions Le Cri, Bruxelles, 2012. All his books have been published by NENA (Nouvelles Editions Numériques Africaines)and are available online now.